Aspire Nitro on Nitro! The Aspire Nitro is familiar, just like the GeForce GTX 1060. It is the combination of the two components that makes the Acer Aspire Nitro 2016 such an interesting device. The price is supposed to start at around 1,300 Euros, so it could be a game-changer in the entry-level gaming segment.

We expected Acer to update its very popular Nitro lineup with Intel's latest Kaby Lake quad-core processor, but we are still surprised by the GPU upgrade. The fastest graphics card of the previous generation was the GeForce GTX 960M, so the logical successor would have been the Geforce GTX 1050. The latter is sitting in the same performance segment as the 960M, but still about 30-40% faster thanks to the new architecture. Acer does not use the next model in line, the Geforce GTX 1050 Ti, either. It is already about 80% faster than the GTX 960M. But Acer uses a high-end chip from Nvidia and equips some SKUs with the Nvidia Geforce GTX 1060. The expected performance gains compared to the GeForce GTX 960M: +180%! Yes, that's right: Plus one hundred and eighty percent, so almost three times as fast compared to the previous top model.

The GTX 1060 is not only powerful enough for any modern PC game, the chip is also labelled "VR Ready", so it can also handle 4K contents for virtual-reality applications, for instance. Some of you might remember that the GTX 960M edition of the Nitro V17 was also available with a 4K screen. Back then, we still talked about the sense, because the performance was just not sufficient for gaming in 4K. To make it short: This changes with the new Nitro generation thanks to the GTX 1060 GPU.

Once again, we reviewed a pre-production sample, which can differ from final retail units in terms of features and other aspects. However, the build quality of the sample was flawless and it ran perfectly, so we would say it is actually representative for the final product. We still waive detailed measurements as well as the rating. We will obviously provide in-depth reviews for different configurations of the new Acer Aspire Nitro laptops as soon as the final products are available.

Case

The design did not really change compared to the previous models; you can only see some small visual changes when you take a closer look. The grooved area above the keyboard was removed and replaced by a single aluminum plate, for example. The Nitro V17 now looks a bit more tasteful. One elegant detail is the polished edge around the touchpad, which is basically a subtle answer to lighting effects of some less powerful, but flashing pseudo gaming systems.

Some elements like the silver area of the hinges and the fan exhausts at the rear did not change. Our test model is also equipped with an eye-tracking module from Tobii, which is integrated in the center of the hinge. A red light indicates when the module is active. This is an optional feature, which will probably only be available in a couple if models. Laudable decision: The optical drive was removed to make room for a bigger battery as well as a more powerful cooling solution. External USB-DVD burners are already available for around 20 Euros, so it is not a big deal.

Connectivity

There are some changes in respect of the ports due to the removal of the optical drive and the redesign of the mainboard. Some ports were relocated, like the audio ports and the SD-card reader, which are now at the left side of the case next to two USB ports. The right side accommodates the usual power connector, RJ45 Ethernet, HDMI, 2x USB 3.0 and one USB Type-C port (Thunderbolt). We like the layout – all ports are easy to access and it is no problem to use them since they are located towards the rear.

Maintenance

There should be no illusions about comprehensive maintenance/upgrade options on the Acer Aspire Nitro V17, but experienced users can access the internals in general. First of all, you will have to loosen a couple of screws, but be careful, because the screws in the corners are bigger than the others. Then you have to pry open the silver cover of the eye-tracking module from Tobii between the two hinges (one more screw). You can now remove the whole bottom panel, preferably with a sharp tool. There are numerous plastic clips, and you also have to be careful with the ports. Once all that is done, you gain access to the battery, the fans, cooling units, SSD, and the HDD as well as two memory slots (one slot in use on our test model). Acer also implemented the Dust Defender technology for cleaning purposes. The fans will quickly spin in the opposite direction, which is supposed to eject dust via openings at the bottom of the base unit.

Warranty

As per usual, the Acer Aspire Nitro Black Edition VN7-793G is shipped with a two-year warranty (incl. pickup & return service) in Germany.

Input Devices

Keyboard

The keyboard reveals some differences compared to the previous VN7-792G, especially in the area of the directional keys. They were shifted towards the right and the right Shift key is now smaller in favor of a larger vertical "Up" key. Our test sample featured the QWERTZ layout. The typing experience, key travel, and the typing noise are – similar to the predecessor – inconspicuous and actually suited for frequent typing depending on your personal preferences. The one-stage red illumination did not change, either.

Touchpad

The touchpad on our test sample is equipped with an integrated fingerprint scanner. It is located in the upper left corner of the pad and can be used as an alternative for passwords, for example. A special opening in the chassis is therefore not necessary, but the sensor could be an issue when you use the touchpad for cursor movements, because the sensor itself does not act as a touch-sensitive area. The surrounding polished aluminum edge is a visual highlight. We like the responsiveness and the smooth surface of the mouse replacement. Mechanical clicks are possible in the lower half of the pad, and both the tactile as well as the acoustic feedback are excellent.

Display

The display is provided by AU Optronics and has the designation AUO BZ173ZAN01.0, but this can still change for the final product. We therefore waive detailed measurements, but we can say that the 4K panel (3840 x 2160 pixels) manages a maximum luminance of around 340 nits in the center, which is roughly on par with the previously reviewed Full HD model. Good: The display has a matte surface, so reflections are not a big deal.

The shops only list one model of the Acer Aspire Nitro VN7-793G with a 4K screen so far, and it is also the most expensive SKU at more than 1,900 Euros (7700HQ CPU, 16 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD, GTX 1060 6 GB).

Crisp, bright, matte, and plenty of space: The 4K display on the Acer Aspire Nitro VN7-793G

Performance

A comparison of the listed models shows that our test sample is one of the higher-end SKUs: Intel i7-7700HQ processor, Nvidia GTX 1060 with 6 GB GDDR5-VRAM, 16 GB RAM, 256 GB PCIe-SSD + 1 TB HDD and 4K screen for around 1,900 Euros. The entry-level models will start for less than 1,100 Euros with an Intel i5-7300HQ, 8 GB RAM, 1 TB HDD, and the Nvidia Geforce 1050 Ti as well as a FHD screen. Probably the most interesting model (793G-71AG) for many customers combines the i7-7700HQ with the GTX 1060 and a FHD screen. The memory equipment consisting of 8 GB RAM as well as a 1 TB HDD can be upgraded by the user afterwards. Price: 1,369 Euros.

Processor

Acer equips our Aspire Nitro V17 with the brand-new Intel quad-core CPU i7-7700HQ (Kaby Lake). It is the direct successor to the i7-6700HQ from the previous Nitro, but the additional performance is not that big at around 10%. The benchmark scores are on the expected level for the i7-7700HQ.

Storage Devices

The test sample is equipped with a conventional hard drive (2.5-inch SATA) as well as an M.2-SSD (NVMe). It is questionable whether this combination will be used in final products, but we check the performance anyway. The SSD from Toshiba manages transfer rates of up to 1100-1200 MB/s (read & write) in CrystalDiskMark. It is therefore much faster than notebooks with SATA-SSDs. NVMe drives have advantages in terms of sequential transfer rates in particular, which is mainly noticeable when you move large files. The subjective application performance, however, does not really differ in practice.We would still recommend an Aspire Nitro model with a primary SSD, so there is not bottleneck on the fast system. It should also be possible to upgrade the storage solution by yourself, because all models will have a 2.5-inch and an M.2 slot according to Acer. The VN7-793G could also be equipped with the fastest SSDs you can get, like the modern Samsung 960 drives. The M.2 slot is attached via PCIe x4 interface, so you can utilize the full performance.

GPU Performance

We already mentioned that the Aspire Nitro VN7-793G is on a whole new level in terns of GPU performance. The following diagram with the benchmarks results from our pre-production sample supports this statement quite impressively. The previous model VN7-792G with 6700HQ CPU and GeForce GTX 960M GPU scored 5400 points in 3DMark 11 (GPU Performance). The reviewed Nitro VN7-793G is almost three times as fast with 15256 points, which is also pretty good among competitors with the GTX 1060. The results are also impressive compared to the Predator 17 G9-792, which is equipped with the GeForce GTX 980M. The previous high-end GPU is beaten by around 20% in a direct comparison. However, Acer also updated its Predator Gaming notebooks by now, so the Predator G9-793 with the Nvidia Geforce GTX 1070 GPU is another 40% ahead of the new Aspire Nitro with the GTX 1060.

Gaming Performance

Let's see how the Nitro VN7-793G handles some modern games: It does not matter if you play FIFA 17, Battlefield 1, Titanfall 2, Witcher 3 or Rise of the Tomb Raider – none of these titles is a big challenge for the FHD Aspire on the highest settings, and there is still a lot of headroom. The old GTX 960M was usually limited to medium settings or even lower...It is also interesting to see how the new Nitro V17 handles the native 4K resolution (graphics preset High). It depends on the requirements of the individual games and some are no problem at all (FIFA 17, World of Warships), while others like Battlefield 1 can be close calls at around 30 FPS. A reduction of individual graphics settings could help here and enable smooth 4K gameplay.

The comparison with the Nitro V15 (6700HQ, 960M) confirms that the actual gaming performance of the current high-end SKU with GTX 1060 and i7-7700HQ is about three times better.

Emissions

System Noise

Our pre-production unit leaves an excellent impression in terms of noise development. Both fans are usually running while idling, but they are spinning on the lowest rpm level and only audible in very quiet environments. The low-frequency murmur never bothered us, even when we had to concentrate on the work. We noticed that the left fan is sometimes more audible with office workloads, but only for short periods before it returns to the lower rpm level.Both fans will increase their speed under load, like the 3DMark Fire Strike Extreme stress test, for instance. Subjectively, the noise still has a pretty low frequency.Once again, we want to mention the pre-production status of our test sample. The fan control in particular can still be adjusted by final software updates.

Temperature

The warming of the surfaces on the top and bottom of the base unit are not problematic, which is also the case under sustained workloads like gaming. It seems the cooling system of the 17-inch system is not really challenged by the components. The cooling solution itself is also quite interesting: Two fans are combined with large cooling units. One fan is a conventional plastic model, while the other one uses blades made of metal ("Aero Blade metal fan"). This solution is supposed to transport the heat even more efficiently. There is one combined heat pipe for the main components as well as one individual heat pipe each for the CPU and the GPU.

Two fans take care of the heat from the Intel CPU and the GTX 1060.

Acer uses two different modules: One normal plastic fan, …

… and one fan with particularly thin metal blades.

Speakers

The two double speakers at the left and right front produce a sufficiently loud sound with a satisfying, but not overwhelming quality. The sound is directed towards the bottom, so the result will benefit from a solid surface. You should not use the Aspire Nitro on soft surfaces though, not least because of the cooling openings (fresh air) at the bottom.

Energy Management

Battery Runtime

How much stamina does a 17-inch multimedia athlete need? A general answer is difficult or impossible, respectively, but it will primarily depend on you personal requirements. Around four hours in our realistic WLAN test is not a great result for the Aspire Nitro VN7-793G, but you can at least cover some short trips. The battery capacity was increased from 53 Wh to 69 Wh, but the result in our initial test is still on par with the previous model. We refer to our upcoming in-depth reviews of the new Acer Aspire Nitro laptops for final results.

Verdict

There it is, the object of desire. The refreshed Acer Aspire Nitro VN7-793G uses the familiar design, and there should not be any surprises in terms of the display, either. The big story is the hardware equipment, because Acer offers a number of new models. The high-end SKUs with the Intel Core i7-7700HQ and Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 are interesting gaming systems. Acer officially classifies its Nitro models as powerful multimedia laptops for creative users, but the powerful versions with the GeForce GTX 1060 can also handle modern games at the highest settings. Some settings have to be reduced when you want to play on the optional 4K screen, but less demanding titles Fifa 17 or World of Warships can be enjoyed in the native resolution and the highest graphics quality.

The reviewed pre-production unit fortunately leaves a good impression in the emissions section. The Nitro VN7-793G is a quiet, although not silent device with office workloads. The emissions are acceptable during gaming, but it will still be interesting whether the final retail units can confirm the good initial impression.

The competition will have a hard time against the new Acer Aspire Nitro 17 when the price is right.

The pricing for the initial SKUs looks promising. It starts at around 1,100 Euros (i5-7300HQ, GeForce GTX 1050 Ti), while configurations with the GeForce GTX 1060 will start at around 1,369 Euros.

We will try to review the final version of the Acer Aspire V17 Nitro BE VN7-793G as well as the smaller sibling Acer Aspire V15 Nitro BE VN7-593G as soon as possible. We will review multiple configurations of the two models to cover the whole range of components.

After my studies at the Vienna Technical University I dedicated myself completely to the project Notebookcheck as a co-founder. Since Commodore C64 and Atari 1040 ST, computers have been an integral part of my daily activities. Beside new technologies, especially electric mobility, my interest also belongs to architecture and construction engineering.

I grew up with computers and modern consumer electronics. I am interested in the technology since I had my first computer, a Commodore C64, and started building my own PCs after that. My focus here at Notebookcheck is the business segment including mobile workstations, but I also like to test new mobile devices. It is always a great experience to review and compare new products. My free time is filled with a lot of sports, in the summer mainly on my bike.